Ford Fiesta- opinions

kueef

im looking for a car which will be cheap to tax and insure...
how much is a fiesta to tax ne one????

also what do i look out for and avoid in looking for a fiesta on a budget of 2500-3000 ?
thanks

Alanstrainor

Good car. The cost of the tax will depend on which engine you get. The 1.25 zetec would be the pick of the bunch though.

kueef

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Good car. The cost of the tax will depend on which engine you get. The 1.25 zetec would be the pick of the bunch though.

thanks,. wats zetec?????? wats the difference?
how do i know its zetec
thanks:D

colm_mcm

there are essentially 2 engine choices in the Fiesta, the 1.3 or the 1.25. the latter was developed by Yamaha and is infinately more morern than the outdated 1.3 engine which (as everyone loves to point out) can trace its roots back to the Anglia. the 1.25 is more powerful, quieter and is generally fitted to better equipped cars than the 1.3.

This is presuming you're looking at the cars between 1995 and 2002 (Mark 4)

Alanstrainor

+1 Colm. Given the budget i'd presume it's a MK4 that the OP will be looking at. I'm not too sure of any major things to look out for on that particular model, haven't heard anything that goes majorly wrong with them.

kueef

wats mk4:eek:

kueef

http://www.euroncap.com/tests/ford_fiesta_2000/76.aspx

3 star!!!! is that safe?

it says on the n cap results that it doesnt have a passanger airbag.. but the ones i see advertised do.. would that improve its safty rating

colm_mcm

It would make things nicer for the passenger alright! The disadvantage of being a polished version of an existing car was that the Mk4 fiesta (1995-2002) had limited safety potential, being a re-skinned version of a car that was launched in 1989.

Alernatives with a 4 star rating include the Fiat Punto, Toyota Yaris, and Renault Clio.

mickdw

As said, dont go for the old 1.3 engine. They generally 'tick' a fair bit and are really old design. The 1.25 is the one. Dont get fooled by a salesman just telling you its the 1.25. They are totally different.

bazz26

1.25 litre has 16v written on the boot and on the engine block afaik.

richiepoorman

Yeah, i have had a 1.25 ghia for years, i brought it in from the UK so it is fully loaded (well for a fiesta anyway), its a MK 4 and has over 100k on the clock, it has never let me down, and for that money you should pick up a nice MK 5,and they are cheap to insure and maintain.:)

samsamson

Any opinions on which engines are the pick of the bunch for the 2002 - 2008 model fiesta?

colm_mcm

Still the 1.25 - the newer model is a bit heavier, but still fun. You could look to the bigger engines, but my money would still be on this one for low tax etc.

kueef

thanks everyone.
what does "trim levels" mean? like people say get the zetec model...
but would the lx or the other 1 be as good?
i dont understand this stuff.. ne websites that explain?

bonnieprince

+1
I have a 03 LX 1,25L, the trim level is good for a bog standard car, it has central locking, electric front windows, cd player. Would recommend it highly even thought i downgraded from an audi a6, the fiesta is more fun about town.

colm_mcm

have a look on carzone and familiarise yourself with the trim levels (levels of standard equipment) On most Fords, LX is the basic model. On the Fiestas you're looking at, it would typically go something like this:


Presuming you're looking at older shape Fiestas (not the 2002-forwards shape)
Finesse: pretty much no equipment bar a steering wheel, an engine, and 5 seats.
Flight: as above but with alloys or sunroof
Fun: See Flight
LX: Casette player, electric windows, sunroof (sometimes)
Zetec: Alloys, fogs, Sunroof, CD player.
Ghia: Alloys, fogs, Air Conditioning, CD player, nice seats, wood dash etc.

there are variations, and specs changed regularly. this is just a taster. to verify exactly what spec a car is input the reg into www.cartell.ie

Interiors:



Finesse:

LX:

Zetec:

Ghia:

kueef

wow thanks!!!
:D:D

zilog_jones

bazz26 wrote: »

1.25 litre has 16v written on the boot and on the engine block afaik.

Earlier models had "16V" on the boot, later ones said Zetec, but confusingly from the Mk. 5 onwards ('99-'02) Zetec became a trim level and there was nothing on the outside to tell which engine it had (except for the tax disc ).

Electric windows weren't standard on LX till either late '98 or the Mk. 5 in '99 (anything older with them were an optional extra or a UK import), though the OP probably isn't looking at anything that old with that kind of money. Power steering wasn't standard on models lower than LX either, though may have been by the Mk. 5. Models lower than LX do have a cassette radio, but an even crappier one with like 3 radio presets or something ridiculous. They also may not have split fold rear seats (again I know Mk. 4 ones didn't, not sure about Mk. 5).

Watch out for noisy suspension, heater stuck on cold (easy enough to fix though), and rust (esp. around rear wheelarches, petrol cap, under rear lights, around door frames).

kueef

thanks!
another thing......
i heard that all fiesta locks are the same and thatt u can open any fiesta with any fiesta key???????:eek::eek:
that would be a major security issue if its true!!!
anyone???

Sofiztikated

Very much doubt that. I know you can lock a Ford with a different Ford key, but not open one.

EPM

kueef wrote: »

thanks!
another thing......
i heard that all fiesta locks are the same and thatt u can open any fiesta with any fiesta key???????:eek::eek:
that would be a major security issue if its true!!!
anyone???

There was a story years ago that this happened with 2 cars and the guy only realized after a couple of days that he had the wrong car. but the chances were one in 2 in million or something...

kueef

oh ok.

does anyone know how much miles per gallon is average for a fiesta?
i think a yaris is about 55mpg? which sounds good!

kueef

anyone????

mpg???:p

zilog_jones

kueef wrote: »

i heard that all fiesta locks are the same and thatt u can open any fiesta with any fiesta key???????:eek::eek:

It seems to be the case that with worn old keys and locks you can sometimes use similar keys from different cars and they will work. But I'm not sure how common an occurance this is, nor how common (or if it happens at all) with the weird shaped Ford keys from that era.

Regardless, all Fiestas by at least '97 have factory-fitted immobilisers, so you can't start the car without that particular car's keys.

kueef wrote: »

does anyone know how much miles per gallon is average for a fiesta?
i think a yaris is about 55mpg? which sounds good!

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Summary.aspx?model=282&page=3
But remember manufacturer's fuel economy stats rarely relate to real life.